I feel like a lot of people in this time period are having trouble coping with the new reality.
For all of human history, this huge lie has been built up that human life is "precious", or "special". That there are fairytale endings, and that "fairness" exists. Even if you're bad, and get away with it in this life, there was the idea that God will punish you, so justice prevails.
In reality, the world is not like this. Human life is as precious as the life of a cow. It's a resource. And it's treated as such. With automation/technology, and overpopulation, the individual human life, and human labor is nearly worthless. There's 7 billion people, and not nearly that many meaningful jobs.
The reality is that life is what you make of it. Over 90% of people work meaningless jobs. 100% of people die. Regardless of whether you get married, and have kids or not, you die. If you do get married, you will either watch your spouse die, or you will die, and your spouse will watch.
Everything is temporary. That's the life of a mortal. Some people are stuck searching for this lie of "immortality", or "permanence", in an impermanent world. You are one of these people. You keep searching for something "higher". Something "better". Something "more real". Or "more important".
You're not sure if it's Love. If it's Money. If it's Family. If it's knowledge. If it's hedonism. If it's drugs. In reality, none of these things "supersede" the reality that we will all die on this rock, leaving nothing behind but dust.
This is a problem that has plagued the intellectuals of mankind for centuries. And they tried to cover it up, with optimistic philosophies, and religions that made false promises, as a way to convince people to keep living. But, these lies are wearing thin. And it's causing many people to become depressed.
There are two ways to react to this new reality.
1.) Keep searching for "immortality", or "permanance", in an impermanant world. This will lead most people to depression, or religion(which can make you happy, if you're willing/capable of being blissfully ignorant).
2.) Stop searching for the unfindable(a permanent, "absolute" meaning to life), and make what you can of your life.
Most people stay stuck on #1(like me). But, many people are able to cast aside the centuries of lies, and find a way to live, without overarching meaning. It's much easier to do this with money. If you for instance keep doing drugs, and drop out of college, it will be much harder to find contentment in this new world.
The hardest part of it all, may be that nobody is talking about this massive change, that occurred in the last few decades.